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The city of Kearney may have found a solution to the traffic problem in front of the Pilot Travel Center on Missouri Highway 92, just west of Interstate 35.

But it’s based on several “ifs,” according to city officials.

Molly McGovern, economic development consultant for Kearney, told members of the Kearney Area Development Council that she is applying for a pair of grants on behalf of the city for funds that would be used to build the extension of Country Road.

“These aren’t new ideas she’s pursing,” City Administrator Jim Eldridge said.

Mayor Bill Dane has estimated the extension of the road north of Highway 92 to be upward of $3 million. The long-range plan to fix the traffic problem is to extend the road and for Pilot to build its own road connecting to Country Road. Tractor-trailers would then have to exit via Country Road instead of Shanks Avenue. The funds would also be used to install a traffic signal at that new intersection and make improvements on Highway 92, McGovern said.

“It would eliminate the Pilot problem,” Dane said in an interview.

That is, if the grants are approved.

“I just commend her for taking on the challenge,” Dane said.

The city qualifies for this Community Development Block Grant and Economic Development Administration grant because of the recent job loss including 138 layoffs from Variform, 20 jobs eliminated when the Chevrolet dealership closed and a few other small businesses closing. The community the size of Kearney must have lost at least 200 jobs in a short amount of time.

Each of the two grants would be $1.22 million, McGovern told the development council at its meeting Friday, June 12. She said the Economic Development Administration grant is for the job loss and the block grant is a matching grant.

McGovern said the announcement of the grant came suddenly and the deadline is soon, so she didn’t have time to discuss it with the development council.

“If we get the grant, then we can debate it,” she said.

McGovern said the city could reject the grant. The funds for these grants are from federal stimulus dollars.

“I recommend getting it in there,” Eldridge said. “With this recovery money, if you’re not in the right place at the right time, you don’t get anything.”

McGovern said the city would also have to pitch in about $1.5 million to build the road and buy the land around it, but that could be paid back through the community improvement district. Pilot pays 1 percent of its sales into the improvement district fund that is to be used for improvements such as this road. So far that has accumulated about $50,000, Dane said. McGovern said a new improvement district would also have to be created for businesses that locate along the new road.

Pilot officials have said in the past they’d be willing to build the connector road to Country Road.

Kearney Editor Kevin M. Smith can be reached at 628-6010 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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